[edasque]

Hi all,


I am writing here because I need advice on seting up a projector and screen.


I have this really nice living room which is followed by a dinning room and kitchen with nice archs in between. Right now my Grand Wega II (50inch) is (as you can see from the drawing) in between the main room and the smaller dinning room.

http://primates.ximian.com/~edasque/images/lr.png http://primates.ximian.com/~edasque/images/lr_small.png

Click on me for a larger image


While it was good enough for a year, I am getting tired of losing that nice architecture design that allowed me to walk from room to room and have a wide open space. Right now, I have two separate rooms and clutter.


So I was thinking about buying a projector (looking at the high end HDTV sony right now) and a screen that I could pull up or down (or which would automagically) when I want to watch TV. The problem is that the arch is high enough so that attaching pull down screen there would mean having the screen sit very very high. Having a pull up screen seems like much more of a temporary solution and also means there is always something in the middle, on the ground.


I have lots of space behind the couch to set up a projector so that's not an issue. Also, I have tried to set up the room differently but as it is a very long room and not very wide, I just can project on any other wall.


What do you guys think, suggest ? Commercial, consulting, DYI ?


(also, is the Sony VPL-HS51 a good choice ? I don't want to have less resolution than my GWII and it seems this is the cheapest real HDTV projector)


Thanks in advance, (this is a cross post, no one offered advice in another group)


Erik

 

[avam]

I think others could give help if you can add more information about your room and budget. What's the actual size of this room (L, W, & H)? How much room is from the top of the arch to the ceiling? I'm assuming there is a ceiling on top of all those walls, or is it all open? Can ambient light be controlled in this room? What do you plan to watch most of the time (DVDs, TV, etc?). What type of equipment will you be using?


You can get a screen custom made to fit your application. Have you done any screen research yet?

 

[James Thorne]

Now what was the problem with placing the motorized screen above the arch? Is this a single story room with an 8 to 10 ft ceiling? Should work fine and clear out space in the room getting rid of the big black box.

 

[edasque]

jmel: I'll provide dimensions, you're right


James: well, I fee like a motorized screen would not come down enough, would it ?

 

[paulgas]

Motorized screens will come down whatever distance you tell the manufacturer

 

[Jason Turk]

Actually all retractable screens can be setup with differing drops. In other words, say you need 36" of leader/drop before the top of the viewable area starts, you just specify that with the company you choose. They can do this on manual or electrics (some limitations). That would be your best bet from what I see. Manual screens can start in the less than $200 range and go up to well over $3k for the best electrics.